Former coach says it’s up to Mike Mayock to make draft picks pay off and get someone to rush the passer

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Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio slaps hands with Oakland Raiders' Khalil Mack (52) after a sack by Mack during their game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the second quarter of their NFL game at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif, on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group

Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio puts his hand on his player Oakland Raiders' Khalil Mack (52) while playing the Cincinnati Bengals in the third quarter of their NFL game at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015. Cincinnati Bengals defeat the Oakland Raiders 33-13. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

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Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack (52) warms up during the team's first day of training camp in Napa, Calif., Friday, July 31, 2015. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio and quarterback EJ Manuel look on during practice at the team's facility in Alameda, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017. Manuel will start against Baltimore at home on Sunday, taking over for the injured Derek Carr. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio yells to an official while playing the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter of their NFL game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. Dallas defeated Oakland 20-17. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Oakland Raiders' Khalil Mack (52) gets a group hug in the Black Hole after his interception touchdown against the Carolina Panthers in the 2nd quarter of their NFL game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) and linebacker Khalil Mack celebrate on the sidelines after the team scored a clinching touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014, at O.Co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. The Raiders won, 26-24. (D. Ross Cameron/Bay Area News Group)

SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 23: Chicago Bears' Khalil Mack (52) lines up at the line of scrimmage against the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

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ALAMEDA — Former Raiders coach Jack Del Rio has kept his thoughts to himself regarding the 2018 trade of defensive end Khalil Mack.

Until Monday.

Del Rio, who is still due two years on a three-year, $15 million contract extension that was signed before the 2017 season, appeared on the NFL Network’s “Up to the Minute” and conceded his former team got good value from the trade although it was tough for him to see Mack go.

“It’s incumbent on (general manager) Mike Mayock to turn that draft capital into something really good that can play and get after the quarterback,” Del Rio said. “And so, we’ll find out. The draft is coming up.

“We’re going to find out if they can parlay those picks into something special, but they clearly decided not to pay one of the great human beings and great football players that I’ve ever coached.”

Mack won the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 2016 with Del Rio as head coach when the Raiders went 12-4 and had 36.5 sacks in three seasons. He was fired by owner Mark Davis after the Raiders went 6-10 in 2017 and owner Mark Davis seized on the opportunity to bring Jon Gruden back into coaching.

The Raiders, who finished last in the NFL with 13 sacks last season (the next lowest was 30), will be on the lookout for a pass rusher in the NFL draft on April 25. They currently own three picks in the first round at Nos. 4, 24 and 27.

Potential pass rushers at No. could include Kentucky’s Josh Allen and Alabama’s Quinnen Williams, although the latter is a tackle and not an edge player. Ohio State’s Nick Bosa, generally considered the top edge player in the draft, isn’t expected to last until No. 4.

— The Raiders signed their second player from the American Alliance Football League, bringing aboard wide receiver De’Mornay Pierson El, the club announced. Last week, the Raiders signed Alex Barrett, a defensive end from the San Diego Fleet.

Pierson-El was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by Washington in 2018, where Gruden’s brother Jay is the head coach. He also played briefly with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

In AAF games, Pierson-El (5-foot-9, 195 pounds) had 36 receptions for 414 yards and a touchdown. In four years in college at Nebraska, Pierson-El had 100 receptions for 1,309 yards and 11 touchdowns in 43 games.

His shot at making the 53-man roster with the Raiders lies in his ability to be a slot receiver and play special teams.

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